Dr. Smith’s Diaper Ointment recently sent me all kinds of samples of their product to try. Their product comes in 2 sizes- a 2oz tub (super cute, and super easy to store) and 3 oz tubes. I was surprised to see they’ve been around since 1963!! No wonder they’ve got the formula down- they’ve been testing it for decades!!

The timing of our package’s arrival was great, because my littlest one was having a horrible diaper rash resulting from 10 days on antibiotics and the resulting loose stool that comes with it- plus she’s teething and that doesn’t help matters!! You are able to use Dr. Smith’s with cloth diapers (yay!) although I didn’t (yet) because honestly, the diapers were so messy I decided disposable diaper inserts were in order for a few weeks until her digestive system gets back on track. Thanks to Dr. Smith’s ointment, her rash cleared up quickly and hasn’t come back (I’ve been using the ointment at bedtime each night just in case).

I really like this ointment- its a nice feeling ointment- not super thick but not really thin, either. No strong smell with this either. I can tell you 20 feet away when someone opens a tube or tub of certain other diaper creams! Its also easy on baby’s skin, and easy off mom’s (and dad’s) hands. I love it. I actually prefer the tub, I use tubes for on the go- and the tub size here is small enough even for travel. This tub is actually small enough to travel with!

On Feb. 24 at 1 p.m. EST, TheMotherhood and Dr. Smith’s will host a live, text-based Talk on TheMotherhood. The celebrity host that day will be Heloise (syndicated columnist, TV personality and author of numerous books, including Hints from Heloise), and she will talk with all of us about hints for baby care in day-to-day life. I am excited to share that I will be cohosting this Dr. Smith’s talk on The Motherhood with several other bloggers and Heloise!

Speaking of baby care in day to day life, there are a few things I want to share that I have learned, or that I found helpful:

People are going to offer to help. The best response to this is “oh thank you! Can you please (insert chore or favor here).” Best idea: Let them bring you dinner. Trust me. If the baby is sleeping and someone brings dinner, you might get to take a nap! Or clean your house, or call your best friend just to catch up. People like to help when you have a baby. LET THEM. When else are people going to be asking if they can clean your bathroom, for free? (Not 100% relating to baby care but man I wish I had listened to this advice!)

Keep a blanket in your diaper bag – even just a lightweight one. There might be a chilly store you hit, or the baby may soil all of his or her clothes- you may need to nurse and not have anything to cover with…you may just want to cover the carrier so people aren’t tempted to touch your sleeping baby. I am not talking about a huge nor fancy blanket- a simple receiving blanket will do, but even now with my youngest at 18 months I keep a blanket in the car. I’ve never regretted HAVING one, but I can promise you I’ve regretted not having one more than once!!

If you are breastfeeding, you may feel at times like all the baby wants to do is nurse, nurse nurse. And then nurse some more. It’s normal for this to happen and normal for you to feel exhausted and drained from it. It’s ok to cry. I cried a lot. Happy tears, sad tears, frustrated tears…I shed them all many times over the past 5.5 years. It’s ok. Breastfeeding is absolutely wonderful and it’s also one of the hardest things I’ve done in my life. It’s also ok to let the laundry pile up a bit or have the toilet go unscrubbed on the days when the baby wants to just nurse a ton. The toilet will still be there tomorrow. So will the laundry.

Oh, yes. That’s another thing I learned. Breastfeeding isn’t always easy. I read lots of books and when it came time to actually, physically have the baby nurse at my breast, I had no clue what to do. I looked at the nurse and (here comes the aforementioned tears again) sobbed “I don’t know what to do.” Thankfully, she did. It’s absolutely the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Also one of the most rewarding.

Invest in a good, quality baby carrier that fits your lifestyle and your body. This is honestly one of the most important things to have, aside from a carseat, in my experience. Go to a cloth diaper shop or baby boutique and try on several baby carriers. Find one that is comfortable, and that you can get on and off of you with ease. Many carriers are ok for 40 lbs- some higher- which means you can use it for several YEARS. Visit friends and borrow theirs. Ask friends what they like and WHY. My kids are 25 & 23 months apart. Being able to wear my babies meant I could still have 2 hands free to play with the older one (or 2) at the park, or cook dinner (I still wear my littlest one on my back if she’s cranky and I have to get dinner cooked!!)…babies love to be worn, they feel so snuggled- and you can have hands free to do what you need to do.

At some point over the course of their first year, your baby will likely sneeze, cough, run a fever, get a boo boo, have an ear infection, or a combination of all of these. It’s also inevitable that the baby will be teething. Again, everyone and their mother (maybe your own mother too) will have advice and opinions about how to treat this. I advise asking your pediatrician, a trusted friend who also has young children, and doing some research online to find the best remedies for you. Before having kids I had a very different outlook on remedies than I do now- but educate yourself, and do what feels best for you and your family. I do recommend getting a good cool mist humidifier and running it often during cooler months.

The folks at Dr. Smith’s are going to send THREE of my readers a gift basket!!One of my readers will win a nice gift basket from Dr. Smith’s which will includeplenty of Dr. Smith’s product, teddy bears, items signed by Heloise (who is our Talk host on Feb. 24), and a number of baby-essential products! Two other readers will win product sample packages (with samples of Dr. Smith’s)!

Mandatory Entry: Tell me one of YOUR best ideas and/or tips for caring for babies! Be sure to leave your comment in your reply if your email isn’t visible in your profile.

Extra Entries:Like Dr. Smith’s Ointment on Facebook (and also get a coupon for $1 off any Dr. Smith’s product)

Follow me on GFC, RSS, email subscription, Twitter or Facebook (1 entry each)Comment on any non-giveaway post (1 comment/post) 1 entry eachShare this giveaway on any Social Networking site (leave URL if possible and: “3 people will #Win @DoctorSmiths #diapercream #ointment from @mamatomjr http://bit.ly/hlrRtb #DrSmiths”)- can be done 2x day at least 1 hour apart.

Enter this *same* giveaway at A Mom’s Take and double your chances of winning +1 entry

I received compensation for my time from TheMotherhood and samples of this product to facilitate my review. All opinions expressed within are my own.This giveaway will end at midnight EST, March 8, 2011. Winners to be chosen using random.org. US only. Winner has 48 hours from my initial contact to respond or a new winner will be chosen. Good luck!!

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